Hancock v. Haile
Hancock v. Haile
Opinion of the Court
Haile was plaintiff in the trial court, and, from a- judgment in his favor against J. B. Hancock, the defendant Hancock has appealed.
In his petition plaintiff alleged that in January, 1900, he was convicted of lunacy, and thereafter confined in the insane asylum at Terrell until March, 1910, when his reason was restored and he was duly discharged from said asylum; that, immediately after Ms conviction for lunacy, the defendant unlawfully took possession of all of plaintiff’s property, consisting of a stock of horses and mules, farming implements, etc., of the value of $6,572, and converted the same to his own use. He prayed for judgment for the value of said property so converted, together with 6 per cent, interest thereon from the alleged date of conversion. He also prayed for general relief.
In reply to that petition the defendant denied the alleged wrongful conversion of the property, and further alleged that he purchased the property from the plaintiff on March 21, 1898, under a written contract signed by both parties, by the terms of which all of the property mentioned in plaintiff’s petition was transferred to the defendant in consideration of the defendant’s obligation to “care for and provide good food and clothing and a home and take care of said E. L. Haile as long as the said Haile shall live, unless the said Haile shall become dangerous and confinement shall become necessary,” and further to pay to said Haile the sum of $300 additional if said Haile should be restored to sanity at the end of three years from the date of the contract. The defendant alleged that plaintiff was of sound mind at the time said contract was executed; that the same was executed at plaintiff’s suggestion; that plaintiff was moved to enter into said contract by reason of the fact that he had theretofore suffered from several attacks of epileptic fits and had been advised by competent physicians that epilepsy was incurable, that he would gradually grow worse, and that he would likely eventually go mad, and that it was advisable and important for him to adjust his business and to make adequate preparation for such consequences. The defendant further alleged that the plaintiff did not recover from said disease within three years, and that the defendant fully performed the obligations under said contract by furnishing board and lodging, clothing, medicine, physicians’ bills, etc., from the date of the execution of the contract up to January, 1900, an itemized account of which was specifically pleaded by the defendant, and all of which expenditures the defendant alleged were necessary for the maintenance, care, and support of the plaintiff. Defendant further alleged that all the property conveyed to him did not exceed in value the sum of $750, while the amount claimed for necessaries furnished to the plaintiff was alleged to be a sum far in excess of the value of the property received by him.
By supplemental petition plaintiff alleged that, at the time the contract was executed, he was of unsound mind, suffering from epilepsy, and unable to know and comprehend the legal effect of said contract, which was therefore void, and that such unsoundness of mind continued from March 21, 1898, the date of the contract, to January 5, 1900, at which time he was committed to the insane asylum and there confined until March, 1910; that after the execution of the contract defendant took possession of plaintiff’s property and converted the same to his own use and benefit. Plaintiff further alleged, in effect, that he was willing for the reasonable value of all such necessaries as were furnished to him by the defendant to be deducted from the amount which the defendant justly owed him for the property converted, but further alleged that the amounts claimed by the defendant for the same were unreasonable and far less than the value of the property converted.
The trial of the case was before a jury, who returned findings upon special issues submitted by the court. As shown by the verdict, the jury found that on March 21, 1898, the date of the execution of the contract, plaintiff was of unsound mind, and that he did not at that time have the capacity to know and understand the legal effect of the contract; that such unsoundness of mind extended up to January 5, 1900; that on January 5, 1900, it became necessary, on account of plaintiff’s insanity, to place him in confinement, and that he did not recover his sanity until March, 1910, about 16 or 17 *1055 months prior to the institution of this suit; that from March 21, 1898, to January 5, 1900, a period of 21 months and 15 days, the defendant provided food and clothing and a home for plaintiff, all of which was necessary for plaintiff's welfare; and that his services for so doing were reasonably worth $32 per month (aggregating $688); and that defendant also expended the additional sum of $256 for the purchase of clothing, medicine, for doctors’ bills, railroad fare, and other items claimed in the defendant’s answer, all of which additional expenditures were likewise necessary. The jury further found that the defendant Hancock did not exercise any undue influence over plaintiff to induce him to execute the contract pleaded by the defendant,.and which was introduced in evidence. The jury further found that the defendant received from the plaintiff under said contract 125 head of horses on March 21,189S, which were then worth $10 per head (aggregating $1,250), and that said horses were worth $15 per head in January, 1900’ (aggregating $1,875); that defendant also received from, plaintiff under the contract certain farming implements and other items of personal property of the value of $7.50. The jury further found that the horses received by the defendant from plaintiff under the contract were, converted to defendant’s own use and benefit in March, 1898.
By different assignments of error appellant insists, substantially, that as the contract in question was executed by the plaintiff without any undue influence exercised upon him by the defendant, and without any knowledge on the part of the defendant of the insanity of plaintiff at the time, and that as the consideration passing from the defendant to the plaintiff for said contract was for necessaries, the same was binding upon the plaintiff until he elected to rescind it and tender back the consideration received by him; that the contract was not void, but voidable only; that plaintiff’s suit was for damages for a wrongful conversion of the property based upon the claim that the contract was absolutely void;- that the contract being voidable only, and not void, and as plaintiff did not elect to rescind the same and restore to the defendant the consideration received by him and did not elect to affirm the contract and sue for damages for its breach, the facts found by the jury would not support a recovery for any amount.
By another assignment appellant insists that the court erred in rendering judgment for plaintiff because the finding of the jury that defendant converted the property to his own use is unsupported by any evidence to show such a conversion.
All assignments of error are overruled, and the judgment is affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Hancock v. Haile.
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